


baby it's cold outside

by Professional_number_cruncher



Series: Christmas one shots 2020 [7]
Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Snow, you can find true love in the same aisle as instant drinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28018581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Professional_number_cruncher/pseuds/Professional_number_cruncher
Summary: Christmas was usually Natalie’s favorite holiday. She was usually back in New York with her family and friends though, not in Texas. Not that she had celebrated with her parents in a few years, they always used Christmas as an excuse for a getaway, but it was Christmas eve and only just sinking in for her, that she hadn’t made any friends since moving six months ago. She didn’t have one Christmas party, nor do any of the traditions she and her sister had made. The holiday season had just passed her by. Natalie was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the taller girl until she ran right into her.
Relationships: Natalie Certain/Cruz Ramirez
Series: Christmas one shots 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017318
Kudos: 3





	baby it's cold outside

Christmas was usually Natalie’s favorite holiday. She was usually back in New York with her family and friends though, not in Texas. Not that she had celebrated with her parents in a few years, they always used Christmas as an excuse for a getaway, but it was Christmas eve and only just sinking in for her, that she hadn’t made any friends since moving six months ago. She didn’t have one Christmas party, nor do any of the traditions she and her sister had made. The holiday season had just passed her by. Natalie was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the taller girl until she ran right into her.  
  
“Shit, sorry,” Natalie started, “I was totally in another world!”  
  
The taller girl smiled, “It’s okay, it happens… are you okay?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“You look… sad. Are you okay?”  
  
Natalie laughed awkwardly, “Yeah it’s just my first Christmas alone, you know? My sister and I usually do something together, but she got her big break as a model and I moved from New York to... to the middle of nowhere,” Natalie had no idea why she was telling some stranger at the grocery store about her life problems.  
  
The taller girl nodded, “I remember my first Christmas after I moved out, it was rough.”  
  
“I didn’t even really realise it was the Christmas season until today,” Natalie lamented.  
  
The taller woman smiled sympathetically, “My roommate had to pull me out of a major slump our first winter living together, so I totally get it. I’m Cruz, by the way. Cruz Ramirez.”  
  
“Natalie Certain,” Natalie smiled, “sorry for dumping all this on you, we just met.”  
  
Cruz beamed, “I don’t mind at all, Natalie.”  
  
"You… don't?" Natalie asked.  
  
Cruz smiled, "You needed to talk to someone about it, I _asked_ if you were okay, I really don't mind."  
  
“Well I’m,” Natalie adjusted her grip on her basket, “sorry for running into you.”  
  
"I told you, it's okay," Cruz smiled, "I'm not upset you ran into me."  
  
Natalie nodded, "You're sweet, you know that?"  
  
Cruz giggled, "I'm just in the Christmas spirit I guess. What brings you to the grocery store this late on Christmas eve, if you don't mind me asking? It's usually pretty dead by about this time."  
  
Natalie blushed, glancing at her basket, "My sister and I usually drink a ton of hot chocolate the week before Christmas, and I realised I didn't have any in my apartment So I was getting that and some instant coffee for tomorrow," she laughed, "because it's not Christmas without every hot drink possible."  
  
“Well,” Cruz said, “I know it’s Christmas eve, not Christmas, and we just met, but if you wanted, we could grab dinner?”  
  
“Dinner?” Natalie repeated.  
  
“Yeah, if you wanted,” Cruz smiled, “I know a lot of little places, and my roommate is visiting his family with his boyfriend so I thought, if we’re both being alone we could be… alone together?”  
  
Natalie smiled, “As long as you’re not planning on murdering me, dinner sounds great.”  
  
Cruz laughed, “Why would I commit murder on Christmas eve?”  
  
“I don’t know, I’m not a serial killer.”  
  
“Well, neither am I,” Cruz smiled.  
  
"Good, I'm not looking to get murdered, dinner does sound nice though,” Natalie beamed.  
  
“How do you feel about Italian?” Cruz asked.  
  
“Sounds great,”  
  
Cruz nodded, “I just need to buy these couple things, and then if you want we can meet at the restaurant, or I can give you a ride,”  
  
Natalie smiled, “I don’t want you to have to give me a ride back here, I’ll drive myself.”  
  
Cruz laughed as she pulled up the address, before rattling it off to Natalie while they waited in line, “I guess I’ll see you in a bit?”  
  
“See you in a few,” Natalie beamed.  
  
Natalie hummed along to the Christmas music on the radio as she drove to the restaurant. Maybe her Christmas wouldn’t be a bust after all. She was going on a… date? Was this a date? A _sort of_ date with a pretty girl. She laughed to herself as she pulled into the parking lot, the place was adorable.  
  
As she walked towards the building, she heard her name, and turned to see Cruz waving.  
  
Natalie grinned, pulling her jacket tighter around herself, “Hey!”  
  
Cruz half jogged to catch up to the shorter girl, “I was worried you would walk in and I’d miss you,”  
  
Natalie laughed, “Well, here I am.”  
  
“Here you are,” Cruz said, leading Natalie into the restaurant, “you’re really pretty, by the way.”  
  
Natalie blushed. She hoped it was dark enough to cover it, or that the cold would explain it away, “So are you.”  
  
Cruz hummed, opening the door, “Thank you.”  
  
Once they were seated and eating, Natalie asked, “So how long have you lived here?”  
  
Cruz smiled, “I’ve lived in the area since I was twelve, but I moved out and got a roommate when I turned eighteen, two years ago.”  
  
Natalie nodded, “I moved down here right after my nineteenth, about six months ago,”  
  
“You said something about your sister being a model?” Cruz prompted.  
  
“Yeah,” Natalie laughed, “she’s the pretty one and I’m the smart one.”  
  
Cruz shook her head, “I think you’re prettier than any model.”  
  
Natalie laughed, “I thought you might be a model, with how gorgeous you are, but you’re way too nice, _and pretty_.”  
  
Cruz blushed, before joking, “Did you just insult your sister?”  
  
“Of course I did,” Natalie beamed, “and called you pretty.”  
  
Cruz’s blush deepened, “You’re too sweet,”  
  
Natalie laughed, “You know, going to a grocery store because I missed my sister may have been the best decision I ever made.”  
  
Cruz beamed, “I’m glad you feel better about your Christmas now,”  
  
“I’m glad you were out to run into,” Natalie smiled.  
  
“So you’re not feeling bad about it anymore?” Cruz joked.  
  
“Nope,” Natalie shook her head, catching sight of the window, “It’s snowing again…”  
  
Cruz turned, “It’s really coming down.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m… not sure my car will be able to handle it,” Natalie hummed to herself, “I’ll have to call an Uber.”  
  
“Or,” Cruz started, “I can take you home, and just drop you off back here tomorrow morning?”  
  
“You’d take a stranger home, and then give her a ride, on Christmas?”  
  
“Well, it’s bad out there,” Cruz shrugged.  
  
“I don’t want to impose,” Natalie shook her head, “I really can’t.”  
  
“How about just until it stops snowing?” Cruz offered, “We can listen to Christmas music, or watch hallmark movies, or bake cookies,”  
  
“I shouldn’t”  
  
Cruz took Natalie’s hands, “You’re shivering right now and we’re still inside. My place is like a block away, so you have a much smaller chance of getting trapped in the snow.”  
  
“Are you insinuating I’d freeze to death?”  
  
“I’m saying it’s bad out there, and offering to give you a ride and maybe share a warm drink.”  
  
Natalie smiled, “Well, if you insist, I can come over for a drink or two,”  
  
Cruz beamed, “That’s the spirit.”  
  
Natalie laughed, “You’ve officially put me in the Christmas spirit, Cruz Ramirez.”  
  
“Well I’m glad to be of service, Miss Certain.”  
  
Natalie hummed, “You came up with that list pretty quickly though, do you just have one saved for when you meet lonely strangers?”  
  
Cruz laughed, “It’s stuff Danny and I usually do, he just happened to get a boyfriend this year.”  
  
“Ah, so I’m the stand-in roommate,” Natalie nodded.  
  
Cruz paused, “I… was actually thinking of it as a date this year?”  
  
Natalie beamed, “I like that idea.”  
  
“Then it’s a date,” Cruz beamed.  
  
When the server left the check, Natalie looked at it, then Cruz, “I hope you were expecting me to pay, because I’m going to.”  
  
Cruz laughed, “That’s not normally how this conversation happens,”  
  
“Well I’ve gotta repay you for taking in a complete stranger,” Natalie shrugged.  
  
“I won’t argue that logic then.”  
  
“Good, because I’m stubborn as hell, and it’s only fair that I pay.”  
  
Cruz beamed, thanking the server again as they stood to leave, “Alright Allie, let me introduce you to some hospitality.”  
  
Natalie laughed, following Cruz, “Allie?”  
  
“Yeah, it’s… a nickname? I’ll drop if you don’t like it.”  
  
“No, I love it,” Natalie said, “everyone back home called me Nat, I like the change.”  
  
Cruz nodded, unlocking the car, “I feel like Allie suits you more than Nat does.”  
  
Natalie slid into the passenger seat of the car, “You’re adorable, Ci.”  
  
Cruz blushed, backing out of her parking space, “You’re really good at making me blush.”  
  
Natalie grinned, watching the snow, “That’s the goal.”  
  
"The goal is to make me blush?"  
  
Natalie laughed, “Part of it.”  
  
“Can I know the other part?” Cruz asked.  
  
“Nope,”  
  
“I take you into my home and you won’t even tell me what you’re planning?”  
  
Natalie laughed, “I’m not planning anything, Cici.”  
  
“You just said you were,” Cruz countered.  
  
“Planning is different from having an end goal in mind.”  
  
“So then what’s your end goal?”  
  
“Making you blush, and securing a second date.”  
  
Cruz laughed, “Well you’re doing a pretty good job of that then,”  
  
Natalie beamed, “I’m glad to hear that.”  
  
Cruz pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex, and glanced into the backseat of her car, “I have an extra jacket if you want to borrow it for the walk inside,”  
  
Natalie laughed, “You don’t have to lend me a jacket, I’m wearing one,”  
  
“Yeah, but it has to come inside anyways, and if you’re cold I’d rather you wear it than I carry it.”  
  
“Then sure, I’ll wear your jacket for you,” Natalie smiled at the taller girl.  
  
Cruz beamed, handing Natalie the coat, “Just trying to keep you warm,”  
  
Natalie shrugged it on, before getting out of the car, “Thank you, Cruz. For everything.”  
  
Cruz beamed, as they walked towards her apartment, “Thank you for the free meal,” she joked.  
  
“Is _that_ why I’m getting a second date?”  
  
“Well that and the fact that I really enjoy your company,”  
  
“Oh you do?”  
  
“Yeah,” Cruz nodded, “you’re really sweet, and you have a good energy.”  
  
“I have a good energy,” Natalie repeated, “I passed the vibe check?”  
  
“With flying colors,” Cruz nodded.  
  
“I’m glad to hear it,” Natalie laughed.  
  
Cruz beamed, taking her shoes off once they were inside, “You’re nice to be around, Natalie. I really enjoy your company.”  
  
“I like your company too,” Natalie smiled softly, “this is honestly a lot better than last Christmas was.”  
  
“I’m glad I could make your first Christmas here a good one,” Cruz led Natalie into the kitchen, “hot chocolate, cider, or eggnog?”  
  
Before Natalie could answer, Cruz spoke again, “Right! You’ve got that hot chocolate tradition! We’ll do that then”  
  
Natalie laughed, “we don’t have to! It’s your place, so it’s your decision.”  
  
Cruz beamed, pulling out a pan and getting a carton from the fridge, “Hot chocolate it is, are you good with Soy milk instead of regular?”  
  
Natalie sat at the counter, watching Cruz, “It sounds great. Do you want any help?”  
  
Cruz shook her head, “Nope! I’ve got it all handled.”  
  
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”  
  
“I’m positive,” Cruz said from her position in front of the stove, “you’re sweet to offer though.”  
  
Natalie blushed, “It’s the least I could do.”  
  
“I think you surpassed the least you could do when you forced me to let you pay for dinner,” Cruz laughed.  
  
Natalie hummed, “Then this is just… me being nice?”  
  
Cruz pulled out two mugs from a cabinet, “I appreciate the offer,” she took the pan off of the stove, pouring into the mugs, “do you do whipped cream or candy canes or anything?”  
  
“Wow, you get fancy here,” Natalie laughed.  
  
“Well I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Cruz joked, “I don’t know how y’all do hot chocolate out in the city, I want to live up to all your hallmark movie dreams.”  
  
Natalie beamed, “You did that when you invited me to dinner.”  
  
Cruz smiled, handing Natalie a mug, “I’m glad to hear that.”  
  
Natalie took a drink, “Holy shit, this is good.”  
  
Cruz laughed, “That means a lot to me, coming from someone who came from _New York_ of all places.”  
  
“Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,” Natalie rolled her eyes, “seriously though, I’ve spent a lot of money on shit that isn’t nearly as good as this.”  
  
Cruz hummed, “Well if you’re ever craving some, you know who to call.”  
  
“Well now I’m going to have to think of a way to repay you.”  
  
“Take me on a date every couple weeks and we’re even.”  
  
“How about once a week?”  
  
Cruz choked on her drink, “Weekly?”  
  
Natalie nodded, blushing, “Yeah I just… I really like you and… you can say no of course!”  
  
“No! No, I’d love weekly,” Cruz smiled, “I just… you surprised me a little.”  
  
“I kind of surprised myself,” Natalie admitted, “I didn’t expect to like you this much,”  
  
Cruz hummed, “Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah we connected in a way I didn’t think happened in real life,” Natalie laughed, “You really are living up to all my hallmark movie dreams.”  
  
“Speaking of,” Cruz grinned, “want to watch one?”  
  
“I’d love to.”


End file.
